The Sins on Their Bones has interesting character dynamics. It shows how friends become lovers become enemies and how those we care(d) about have the ability to hurt us the most. That aspect of the book was really well written, both Dimitri and Alexey struggling under their shared past, yet in very different ways. Alexey is driven by his ambitions and plans for the country, willing to sacrifice everything for it even though he didn’t truly expect having to sacrifice his husband, Dimitri, as well. Maybe that was the one thing he couldn’t sacrifice but did so anyways. Dimitri is younger, more idealistic and basically the personification of the word ‘good’. Of course he has his flaws and he sees them, too. Throughout the entirety of the book, the two of them dance around each other, one of them trying to forget and the other not being able to do anything but remember. Their thoughts are with each other but for different reasons. Both Alexey and Dimitri know they have to overcome each other but still, theyy can’t really let go.
I thought their past and present relationship, their dependence on each other but also how vastly different they each are as persons was very interesting to read and well written. Samotin really delved into human psyche here, drawing a picture of want, obsession, dependence, love and hate, flaws and the wish for something better.
While I don’t think Alexey was ever good for Dimitri, I understand why they were drawn to each other and what broke them. The physical and emotional trauma caused by Alexey was evident in Dimitri and his struggles were realistically portrayed. Laura R. Samotin has thoroughly worked out their relationship and I absolutely liked that aspect of The Sins on Our Bones.

Unfortunately, this was such a big aspect of the book, I feel like everything else wasn’t developed enough. Especially Dimitri’s friends and their whole friendship group. I liked their dynamics but I didn’t fully understand where they came from. It is hinted at why some of them chose to stay with Dimitri but I would have loved to know more about their pasts. How did they even become friends? What was the moment for their decisions to stay at Dimitri’s side forever? How do they all know each other?
I would have loved to explore Vasily’s relationship with Dimitri more. He even has his own PoV chapters but I still don’t think I know him that well, especially when it comes to his Dimitri’s friendship before the country fell to pieces. I like how their relationship develops throughout the story, how they grow closer physically and mentally and how they help each other. Their relationship is a supportive one in which both parties simply accept each other with all flaws and struggles and everything good as well. I truly enjoyed that but I would have loved more background.
Where Dimitri and Alexey were highly complex characters that were both very well written, the others are more or less shadows on my mind. I just would have liked some more information on all of them and their shared past. It always felt like I missed some vital parts of their lives, like if there was a prequel to this book, but there isn’t. So I was just left hanging there, wondering about their lives.

I do think the religious aspect of The Sins on Their Bones was very interesting as well. I always love mythology in books and I really liked how Ashkenazi traditions were intpreted in this book, especially when it comes to different forms of practice and different movements within a religion.

Another thing I really had trouble with was the pacing. While I liked the focus on the main characters, it took a lot away from the plot and for the first few hundred pages nothing happened. It dragged and I really needed to actively push through them. This got better towards the end but the beginning was, in my opinion, boring. Characters can only carry a story so far, and here, it just wasn’t enough for me. I have to admit, I don’t necessarily need much of a plot but then I also need more than two developed characters. At least half of this book just felt dry.

The Sins on Their Bones was a study in abusive relationships. It shows all aspects from getting to know each other, the mental and physical toll it takes on people and how they recover and try to heal. It is dark and atmospheric, but also lacked character depth in all supporting characters, the world building wasn’t there except for the religious and mythological aspects.
This book has a lot of potential and there are definitely many people who will love it, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. I wished to love this but I simply didn’t.

Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to complete the book, so my commentary is limited to roughly 55% of its content. Initially, the story unfolded at a slower pace, but it gradually gained momentum as I delved deeper.

The narrative revolves around Dimitri, a deposed Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo, who resides in self-imposed exile with his four closest companions following a devastating war that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals under his rule. This conflict, lost to his estranged husband Alexey, the current immortal Tzar, saw the rise of a tyrant who aims to build an army composed of demonic creatures, and strikes fear into his subjects. Alexey's ambitions for Novo-Svitsevo as the paramount global power, achieved through Holy Science, prompt Dimitri and his confidant and lover, Vasiliy, to conspire against him. Yet, the challenge remains daunting: how does one slay an immortal, especially one with lingering affections?

Categorized as queer dark fantasy, the book aptly lives up to its label, laden with numerous content warnings. Themes of physical, mental, and sexual abuse, alongside vivid depictions of bodily harm, resonate powerfully, leaving enduring scars on Dimitri's psyche. It's a narrative that demands resilience from its audience, as Dimitri navigates a landscape of moral ambiguity and personal torment.

Regrettably, I was unable to complete the book due to an archival date coinciding with the publication date. Nevertheless, I remain eager to return to its pages promptly.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s a story of healing from trauma and abuse, healing from loss of loved ones and loss of self, and it’s a story about redemption, and love, and faith in oneself and a higher power. The treble POV made it particularly interesting because though the villain is undoubtedly villainous, you also see his motivations and how very clearly *wrong* he is in his beliefs while not apologizing for him at all. On its face, it’s a dark fantasy novel with an Excellent found family, but at its core, it’s a story of self-forgiveness and resilience.

But all that said, definitely check your content warnings. This one is *dark* and could be very triggering to anyone who can’t (or shouldn’t) read about domestic violence, sexual assault, or body horror, among other things.

I am sad that I missed the window to read this story. I am sure it is an interesting read, and I will try to get a physical copy at some point to give it a chance!

A note of some importance about The Sins on Their Bones: This is not a romance, though it contains a love story—a love of country, a love of friends and found family, a love that is poison, and a love that becomes salvation. It’s a story of sacrifice with the purpose of vanquishing another’s story of avarice; it’s a lust story, for power, for control, for immortality. In accomplishing the telling, Laura R. Samotin confronts traumas such as memories of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The Sins on Their Bones is a story woven in Jewish mysticism and mythology. It is foretold that Dimitri Alexeyev will suffer more than any living man has suffered, and that the pain will almost break him. When that prophecy is eventually fulfilled, it delivers Dimitri to a point of no return. What led him there, along with who and how, is unraveled through flashbacks as well as current events.

Dimitri’s betrayal at the hands of his own husband leads him to a life of exile, in hiding with those of his court who are still loyal to their tzar. Dimitri’s story is a slow reckoning of his perceived inadequacies and shortcomings, not as tzar but as a man, a husband who failed when it was time to take command. He was, however, facing impossible circumstances. How does one kill what cannot be killed, after all? It’s a burden under which Dimitri nearly crumbles and destroys himself, and readers witness his near-crippling guilt alongside him.

Alexey Balakin is a usurper. He broke his marriage vows and turned his back on Dimitri in the pursuit of a devil’s bargain cloaked in holy righteousness, and in gaining eternal power, Alexey lost the very thing that made him human and humane.

At the helm of Dimitri’s security is Vasily, the man who loves Dimitri most ardently but knows his love can never be returned. Of the three men, Vasily’s sacrifice felt greatest to me. In fact, I saw him as the hero of the story because he was willing to offer himself, even if it meant near-certain death, with the expectation of nothing in return. Whether the author intended me to see him so I can’t say, but there’s no question that Vasily places himself at the helm of an impossible mission, not because he wants glory but because he loves both Dimitri and his country so unselfishly.

Samotin delivers her characters to their final battle—a critical one for the heart and soul of the world—with painstaking clarity and careful interrogation of her characters’ interior lives, what they offer, what they refuse, and how far they are willing to go to achieve their objectives. This isn’t a fast paced, action packed novel. It’s a story that grows on you the deeper the author mines her characters’ emotions and struggles, especially in the ways they seek comfort. The Sins on Their Bones is decidedly more character than action driven, but that doesn’t mean the story lacks urgency. It’s the very urgency of the threat, in fact, and what’s at stake if they should fail, that creates the tension in the story. It reads like catharsis; perhaps that’s exactly what it is.

Thank you to the publisher and Sydney from Wunderkind PR for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Reading the blurb and seeing the cover made me excited. I like demons in my books, queernorm societies, religion has my interest. But even though I read the content warnings in the beginning, it didn’t prepare me enough for what was coming. It’s a daaaaaark story. The author explained she wouldn’t beat around the bush with the trauma, and it’s clear she didn’t, showing horrible things on page. Dimitri already has so much traumatic bagage at the start of the story and we’re only shown tiny bits of it. He shares the good memories while his friends share the bad memories of the two together. It hurts to witness. This continues throughout the whole book.

While the story itself was interesting, it was the tone that pulled me out of it. I don’t pick up dark stories often but there’s a reason why I don’t pick up grimdark fantasy, and now I’m not sure it I’d classify it as grimdark or not. I wish the tone was a little different so it didn’t feel like I was witness to such harsh abuse up close.

I really like the world the author created, and Dimitri’s court (or friends) are all lovely. Everyone should have a group like them. Alexey, what shall I say? He was a monster before and after his death. Vasily was my favourite character. His love and kindness in these dark circumstances made him shine bright.

Ultimately, I think this book was definitely a Not For Now or a Not For Me. If you can handle all the content warnings, this will be a good read. It reminded me a lot of Shadow and Bone but way more dark and mature.

DNF unfortunately.

I meant to add this as a DNF a long time ago, but I got too busy.


This writing style comes across as both smarmy and self conscious in a way I found to be wildly grating. The dialogue didn't match up with time period it was placed in, and sounded awfully juvenile. I'm also very, very sick of being quipped at, or having to read truly terrible flirting. Ultimately, despite the legions of reviewers commenting how dark the novel is, I just simply do not trust the author to tackle the purported themes properly. Both from the shallowness I get from the prose alone, but also trying to reconcile the "queer normative" world building. You can't have no homophobia and imperialism, because that's not how those concepts work on a basic structural level. There was also a lot of telling and not showing, references to past key events and bonding moments between the characters, all of which serve to pad out what is simply a book that cannot seem to allow itself to be that deep.

It’s taken me a while to write this review because I really didn’t know where to start with it. I guess I will begin by saying that I had really looked forward to this book, with its Jewish-based fantasy world and heavy emphasis on queer characters and relationships. Instead, I feel like I got a slow book full of trauma porn, relationships that weren’t fleshed out or believable, bad execution of detail and background, and so much unnecessary sexual content that existed SOLELY for the purpose of demonstrating abuse.

Like many other reviews, I really struggled to get sucked into this book, even though the magic system and fantastical elements had so much potential and were really interesting. The starting point of the book being after a war could have added to the intrigue of the novel if not for the fact that the dispensation of details felt jagged–at times way too slow and at other times far too much at once. The flashbacks didn’t feel well-paced, and I found that inter-character dynamics just existed and the reader was plopped into them, rather than watching any of them naturally unfold or grow. This is the greatest hindrance to the Dimitri/Vasily relationship, which I absolutely could not find any investment in beyond feeling bad for Vasily the whole book (because let’s be honest, he was used). The Dimitri/Alexey relationship was even worse: one of utter abuse and horror that we were supposed to buy into, or at the very least, be interested in witnessing their abusive sexual encounters. So much time was poured into this aspect, and I personally had no interest in reading about it.

I found myself skimming all the way to the very end, and when the resolution presented itself, my primary thought was “meh.” I didn’t feel a cathartic satisfaction at the end, likely because the author didn’t ever win my entire buy-in for her characters. She didn’t make them well-rounded or, frankly, very likable, and their relationships to each other felt superficial—or, at the very least, like their friendships had been forged in a prequel war we never got to see and therefore could not really understand.

I appreciate the intent of the novel, and am always excited for more diverse versions of fantasy worlds, but the intricacies of this book really took me out of it and removed any sense of enjoyment I could have felt. I give this 2⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

One of the best dark fantasies I had the pleasure of reading!

Inspired by Jewish folklore, The Sins on their Bones is an engrossing, immersive tale of loss and grief, and family and friendship.

I adored every single character, how uniquely written each of them are, and most importantly, their interactions. This has to be one of the best found family books I’ve ever read, and the romance was as well masterfully done.
This is a very character-driven story, and despite the actual plot moving at a pretty slow pace, you get a lot of time to know these characters, to understand their fears, their motivations, and how they shape the plot.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Set during the turbulent times after a Tzar loses the civil war to his husband, The Sins on Their Bones is an emotional and unflinching exploration of love, loss, pain, belonging, fear and healing. The story is told primarily through the perspectives of three people:

1) Dimitri, the righteous Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo who exiled himself after failing to kill Alexey who has betrayed his love and trust in so many different ways.
2) Alexey, the immortal acting Tzar who’s set on ruling the world after uniting the middle world of demons and the lower world of men via the Holy Science.
3) Vasily, Dimitri’s spymaster who’s willing to do anything to save his country and provide Dimitri the happiness and freedom he deserves.

And, it’s a story that cuts deep and hard with its willingness to openly and deeply explore the effects of war, violence, death, abuse (emotional, physical and psychological), toxic relationships, trauma, human experimentation and more through life-like characters that will have you rooting or hating them. Every page is filled with emotion — the most vivid being desperation, grief, anger, greed and hope. The story is so alive, so dark and though I knew nothing about the Ashkenazi Jewish culture which inspired the world of the book, it didn’t hinder my understanding of it.

The Sins on Their Bones will sit in my mind for a long while. From the nuanced execution of the story and the complex characters to that painful yet realistic ending that has left me fervently hoping for the best despite knowing better, there is so much to ponder about here. If you’re a fan of Tokyo Ghoul and The Heroic Legend of Arslan , you’d love this book too.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

I love unconventional fantasy novels, where the main characters aren't powerful and heroic, where they have lost everything, where they doubt themselves and their decisions at every turn, but still choose to forge on regardless. Dimitri is depressed and going through it mentally, after his ex-husband's betrayal and usurpation, and a lot of the beginning of this book is about picking up the pieces in order to move forward. I appreciate how his depression is taken seriously as a legit illness, which is something you don't see a lot of in high fantasy. Vasily is his loyal spymaster who is devoted to his country and to Dimitri, and is willing to do whatever it takes in order to reinstate Dimitri as Tzar. At times, things look hopeless, but Vasily manages to persevere and act under pressure. Alexey reminds me of the Darkling from Shadow & Bone, so take that as you will. He's power hungry and delusional in his quest for more power, under the misguided belief that he must do it for the good of the country. I hadn't expected to get his point of view in this book, and I won't say it was a pleasant surprise, but it was fascinating to read from his perspective and see how differently he interprets things.

A lot of the negative reviews critique the pacing as "too slow", but honestly, I didn't even notice? In hindsight I can see how people might find this book slow, as it takes about halfway into this book for the main plot to get going, but I really enjoyed being able to spend more time with the cast, learning about them and their backstories before getting swept up in the plot.
I've also seem some criticism of the amount of sex scenes in this book, which is perfectly fine and everyone's preferences are valid. However, I do feel that some people are coming at this from the perspective that sex scenes are written purely for the purpose of titillating the audience, which is definitely not the case here. The characters have sex for a variety of reasons, ranging from using it as a coping mechanism for trauma, or as a way to exert power or control, or as a method of manipulation, which I think is important to keep in mind before dismissing this book as "smut". (But if you're into it that's fine too!)

Another aspect of this book I found rather interesting was how Jewish folklore and customs were written into the world-building. I have zero knowledge of Judaism so I lowkey thought some of it was made up for fantasy world-building purposes, but the author's note at the end of the book was enlightening and gives some great insight into how the author constructed this world with Jewish culture in mind.

One thing that bugs me about this is, I was under the impression that this book was a standalone until I got to the ending. You could still read it as a standalone, I guess. And like, I'm glad that there could be more of this world, but it irks me that I didn't know this going into it.

TLDR; This book weaves a complex tapestry of past and present, love and betrayal, loss and healing. It's about finding light in the darkest of times. 5 stars.

This was a really solid debut fantasy novel! I really enjoyed the characters (especially Vasily), and I'm so excited to see where the story goes next after that ending! I do think that the pacing was a bit off at parts of the novel, but I otherwise really loved it and would recommend it to those who like dark fantasies!

Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada | Random House Canada, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Dimitri Alexeyev was the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo. Now he's exiled by his estranged husband, Alexey Balakin and hiding with his own small court away from the city. Helped by his spymaster, Vasily, they decided to try a ruse in order to destroy the usurper's court from the inside Vasily will sneak into Alexey's court, to gather information and to pay the way to his downfall. But Alexey isn't an ordinary man anymore. Thanks to the pervesion of the Lydayzim religion he died and resurrected himself, being now impossible, or almost, to kill. Able to summon demons, he is now corrupting the whole city, wanting to build a powerful army and create a mighty empire.
But saving Novo-Svitseso means kill the husband Dimitri isn't yet ready to say goodbye too, even though he's starting to feel something for Vasily.

The sins of their bones is a brilliant, magnificent and hugely captivating story, set in a Jewish folklore inspired world, in Eastern Europe. It's the story of two estranged husbands, who find themselves on opposite sides of a civil war. The story is intriguing and told mainly by two povs, Dimitri's and Alexey and their desires, dreams and ambitions. In this queer dark fantasy, the author did an excellent job in dealing with toxic relationships, abusive love, loss, love and power, mainly in describing the intense story between Alexey and Dimitri and the slowly falling in love between Alexey and Vasily.
The story follows these two civil war faction, between intrigues, court, lies, secrets, power and demons, in fighting for the right thing for the country and for themselves, with well rounded characters and an intriguing and fascinating setting.
I was emotionally destroyed by this book, but I'm totally recommending it!

This book broke my heart and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I needed to know what happened next, even as I worried over the fate of my favorite characters. Dimitri was so sweet and he struggled so much. I felt that the portrayal of his grief and depression was done well, and my heart hurt for him. Vasily was such a complex character, so full of empathy, while somehow also balancing his role as spymaster and what needed to be done. He's very self-sacrificing, always doing what's best for everyone else, regardless of what he wants. I was so invested in how everything would play out, and I needed this little found family to find some version of a happy ending.
I really enjoyed the fantasy element, as well. It's an interesting take on magic, faith, and demons. I'm unfamiliar with Jewish folklore, so this was an introduction into some pieces of that.
This was a fantastic read, and I enjoyed it a lot, despite the fact that it made me cry. I definitely recommend checking it out!

I love everything about this book. The found family and relationships in this book are wonderful, and all of the main characters are queer. This book focuses a lot on themes of abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and I believe the author portrayed the effects of this abuse on the main characters in a way that does it justice and can be relatable for people who have been through similar. The romance is so beautiful (and at times steamy), and this book tore my heart out and healed it again more than once. The author includes many elements of Jewish culture in this book, and while I do not know enough about Jewish culture to say whether this aspect was executed well, I did enjoy what I noticed was included from traditional Jewish myths and stories.

Really enjoyed this one! I know historical Russian setting has kind of been done to death in fantasy in the past few years, but Samotin was really successful with this one. It's a dark and at times painful story, but I love to suffer a little. Very interested to see what else this author writes in the future!

This book was such a thrill for the heart really. It took me a good amount of time to read because it was tinged through by this melancholy sense of desperation- of wars already waged, hearts already broken, promises long shattered. You come into the story after everything has settled, the soldiers have stopped fighting. Dimitri and his friends, the remainder of his court, have been living in a foreign country after Dimitri’s husband, Alexey, waged war and became the new Tzar. Alexey has consolidated his power through his new Holy Science, making himself immortal and strange.

Despite the heavy past that weighs on the cast, there's an ultimate tone of hope. Despite it seeming like all is over, this small group has not given up- not wholly. They see Alexey for what he really is: a blasphemer who has perverted the country’s love of God. Hope to win, despite the lingering pit in Dimitri's stomach that he'll never be able to get over what he once had so he can kill Alexey.

I actually almost stopped when I was about halfway through because it was making me sad and it was all feeling rough. But once you hit that mark it picks up rapidly and I read the second half all in one sitting.

I think this book’s conversation on abuse, especially at the hands of someone you love, is one of the most interesting and compelling pieces of the puzzle. It's Dimitri's biggest obstacle: how to come to terms with what has happened, how to rectify this with the feelings that still exist in him, how to move on because he has to- even if he doesn't feel ready. And the themes of found family and healing slot right in there.

I always say I won't skim other ppls reviews and then I do. I won't say I disagree that this book feels like a sequel to a book I never read. But I also think there's something compelling in that. There's a real haunting sense to it. The world has ended and there's nothing you can do to stop the hurt because its already happened. The only thing left to do is pick up the pieces and keep moving. I am definitely biased as someone who loves memory studies and looking at aftermath and memory and how the moving on is viewed. Regardless. I really enjoyed reading this and you should give it a go!

Really enjoyed this dark fantasy debut! It was hard to put this book down once I got started. It explores darker themes, but does it so well. I loved the darker religious themes as well. The writing was great and seeing the story from our three main POV's kept me coming back for more. All of our characters were fully fleshed out and the slower pace at the beginning really allows you to understand them and their motivations. The ending definitely leaves me excited for the sequel.

(4.25 stars)

When I saw the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. It has been described as a queer dark fantasy. The story takes place in a fictional version of 19th century Eastern Europe/Russia and is drenched in East European Jewish mysticism, folklore and traditions. Yes, there’s a Tsar, but he’s Jewish! This world also treats same-sex relationships as nothing unusual, which is another refreshing aspect.

The story follows Dmitri’s efforts to regain control of Novo-Svitsevo. He used to rule Novo-Svitsevo as Tsar, but lost to his husband, Alexey, in a civil war. Alexey is now immortal, having undergone a resurrection/transformation via what he calls the Holy Science, a twisted version of the fictional religion of Ludayzim. Dmitri is in exile now, with a few of his faithful court. The plot took quite a while to take off, but once it did, I was hooked.

Chapters are told from three POVs: Dmitri, Alexey, and Vasily who is Dmitri’s close friend and spymaster. The book design is beautiful, with illustrations at the beginning of each chapter and illustrations of two playing cards that figure in the story.

It’s not an easy read; be aware that there is a lot of violence and gore, body horror, human experimentation, and abusive relationships, among the content warnings. There are also quite a few very explicit MM sex scenes throughout the book. Dark magic pervades the whole story, which includes both angels and demons.

The story talks to us about the long-term effects of abuse and trauma, about deep friendships, facing our faults (and realizing that some things weren’t our fault).

The final chapter hints at the possibility of a sequel. If that happens, I’ll be reading it.

Don’t skip the Author’s Note at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Once I got into this one, I did not want to put it down! It took my brain a while to adjust to having a villain character who was really a villain, not the enemy in an enemies-to-lovers arc. All three POV characters were interesting, and I thought it was impressive that Alexey remained unlikable but still engaging because I feel like we are often predisposed to love the bad guy.

I would recommend this to people who enjoyed the Grishaverse series and want to try something darker, those who enjoy more fantasy than romance (but still some heart-wrenching moments), and anyone who wants to hang out in a queer fantasy world.

I do think TSOTB reads a bit like it could be the second or third book in a series, rather than the first, so if you're someone who doesn't enjoy being dumped into the middle of things it might not be for you! (Everything is well-explained and I love this sort of set up, but it's not for everyone.)